Winds of Change
Burning Desires The wind was steady, temperature and climate fit for safe travels. An unusual cloud sped through the air, arriving near Mokoko Island. The sky was cloudless, with the exception of that one cloud that moved quite strangely. Suddenly, the cloud dispersed, revealing it was hiding a young man, or rather, he was using it to hide himself from view. Looking down on the island, he grinned as he glanced at his log pose, and began to make way to the outskirts of the main town, descending from the air slowly and with precaution, as to not get noticed, as a young man floating in the air would probably stir some commotion. As he landed on the ground, he began to stretch, squat and do some pushups in a circuit fashion. “Aah, traveling like that for so long makes my body go stiff!” He said to himself as he jogged in place. “Okay! Much better!”. The young man grabbed his large backpack and his black staff, adjusting the staff on his back, and throwing the backpack over his shoulder. He took out some earbuds from his pocket, and hit “play” on a new model of music player that had been developed recently. “Ooh Yeaah!” Draco D. Zephyr began to dance and air guitar his way towards the town, spinning around the citizens as he muttered the song he was listening. He would stop every now and then to simulate the guitar solo or headbang. Snapping his fingers, he would go through various merchant stands, asking for two things. “Oi!”, he said, removing his earbuds. “I’m looking for someone with the surname “Draco”, that’s supposed to be here.” He asked to a local merchant. “Eeh, haven’t heard of anyone like that. You could try asking in the inn, there’s the place to get information.” Pointing a finger gun at the man, Zephyr winked, “gotcha! Also...” he crept in closer, whispering. “Do you know anything about the Poneglyph that’s said to be on the island? Ehe! Ya’ know, as a tourist I’d be interested in seeing it!” The merchant widened his eyes, and leaned closer too. “Ooh, yeah. We don’t speak about that, but...” he looked around. “It is said to be on a deep cavern on the edges of the island. No one has seen it though, that cavern is extremely dangerous, and...” he looked around once more. “The government has some people guarding the entrance I think...” “I see!” Zephyr exclaimed excitedly. “Thanks for your help! Now...gimme’ three takoyaki! I’m starving!!” Calculated Eruptions “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus!” An old man barked, slamming a sheathed sword into the ground with great strength, a gust of wind spreading in all directions as it results. The man stood watching a large tan-skinned man slashing away at a large hunk of steel, barely leaving a scratch on it as sweat dripped from his forehead. “Can it, Old Man! Just say what the hell you mean!” The young man yelled, wiping sweat from his forehead as he sized up the large hunk of metal, looking down at his blade before standing tall, looking up to the sun as it beamed down on his blade. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and concentrating. “It would seem even the dumbest of flowers can bloom eventually.” The old man spoke, a small grin appearing on his face as he watched the boy, scratching his chin in anticipation. As the boy stood there, his blade would begin to go from silver to a deep red almost black, consuming if like a veil, tendrils of a black mass stretching across the blade as the heat began to escape from the blade into the air. As the blade transformed in a sense, the boy's feet began to smoke, it seemed to be...steam. In an instant the boy shot forward, appearing to the other side of the hunk of metal, bringing down his blade with great force before widening his eyes and looking back, awaiting something soon to come. The hunk of steel imploded in its center, sliced clean in half, but not only that, set ablaze and now melting from the extreme heat of the boy’s blade, burning the sand below it and sending plumes upon plumes of smoke into the air. “FUCK YEA! Did you see that shit, Levi?! I’m getting better and better every damn day!” The boy screamed to a blond girl sitting to the side of the clearing, seemingly resting from some training of her own. “Keep your voice down, Brennan! At your tone, they’ll here you all the way in Takamagahara, you doofus!” The old man barked, squaring his shoulders and glaring sternly at Brennan as he cheered in joy. “Tch! That boy really is something. You’ve done well so far, Seijuro. I’d say your efforts with that hard-headed dumbass have earned you a nice cup of tea.” Seijuro said to himself, turning around and making his way into the traditional Japanese home to his rear, putting a kettle to boil before taking a seat in the kitchen, keeping an eye on the pair outside as he picked up a newspaper, beginning to skim it as he awaited the screams of his teapot. Levi sighed but was unable to stop the smile from coming to her face as she watched Brennan cheer and rave at the results of his training. It had been about a year since Brennan had invited her on this "training expedition" as he called and she accepted, desiring to improve herself for the sake of her captain and crew. Feeling full rested, she stood up as she grabbed her own sword and blitzed over to Brennan in a burst of speed, displaying her newfound prowess in her Circuit Overload and left behind a trail of luminescent electricity within her wake. "Of course, you are getting better! You don’t know when to quit." Levi said flippantly, keeping the smile on her face. "Not that I can say the same. We’ve been training non-stop since we’ve gotten here after all." “And we can’t stop now, I’ve gotta go into the New World with a bang!” Brennan exclaimed, sweat flying from his forehead as he spoke with intensity. Brennan walked over to the remains of the chunk of steel he cut down, lobbing it into the air and cocking his fist back. As he prepared to strike the solid steel block his arm began to steam, his knuckles turning to magma as he shot hi fist forward, steam shooting from his elbow as it blasted at rocket speeds at the steel mass, obliterating it with ease as his fist exploded upon contact with it, almost like a compressed eruption. He then continued to do this with the remaining half before returning to Levi’s side, looking down at his hands. “It’s like I’m an all-new person! Like I’ve been encased in rock this whole time and still, I can tell I’ve only just cracked the surface!” Brennan spoke, tensing his hands into fists as he looked up to Levi. After months of training and honing his skills, amassing so much strength, still, he felt there was so much more and he was determined to unlock as much as he could. Seijuro licked his fingers and flicked the page of his newspaper, skimming the words. “Zephyr...” He read, scrunching his eyebrows and squinting at it before slightly widening his eyes. “So there’s another. Glad to see the families doing well.” Seijuro murmured, flicking to the next page, showing it no further thought. Just then, the teapot began to boil, letting out a high pitched screech as Seijuro put his sword under its handle, spinning it down the blade and catching it at the end, not a drop spilled, quickly pouring four cups and grabbing a few snacks from the fridge, placing it on the table stove, heating them up as he took a sip of tea. “Food’s ready. You’re welcome to join me, or not, because trust me, I’d rather eat alone than with you lot.” Seijuro yelled, putting a cup to his lips as he finished his sentence, muffling out the last fire words of his sentence. “Finally, food time!” Brennan exclaimed, charging over to the house and slamming himself down in a seat and chowing down on the food, leaving no room for anyone to grab anything else. Unlike her captain, Levi elected to calmly walk over towards the table before sitting down at the table to join them, resting her sword nearby. Taking a sip of the tea prepared by Seijuro, she looked over to the old man in question and bowed before him. "Thank you for the refreshments, Seijuro." Electing to ignore the food as she knew how Brennan was, she continued to talk with Seijuro. "I was wondering what do you think of our current progress compared to how we were before? I've been curious for a while now and wanted your opinion." “Despite the pain in my ass you both are...you’re growth has been incredible, you both hold incredible strength, I’m simply the perfect medium to pull those abilities out.” Seijuro said, reaching back to the fridge and pulling out a second plate of snacks, placing it on the table before himself and Levi. “I planned ahead and made some extra, feel free to dig in, though I must ask you to leave a few for our guest, that should be arriving soon.” He said, looking to the fourth teacup he’d poured. Brennan was too busy devouring his meal and tea to realize what Seijuro had said, pausing for a moment as he looked up to Seijuro and Levi to the second plate of snacks. He snuck his hand to the plate, aiming to grab a rice ball from the plate, having finished most of his portion. Seijuro smacked Brennan in his hand, scowling at him as he held his hand, rubbing his wound like a child before going back to finishing his tea and foods. Levi nodded with a smile before taking two riceballs and began to eat one as she handed the other towards Brennan, knowing he would most likely pout or whine until he got the food he wanted. As she finished a bite, she looked towards Seijuro once more and questioned. "A guest? I don't recall you mentioning anyone coming around as of recently? Just who is this person and how important are they?" Levi took another bite of her riceball as she waited for Seijuro to answer her question, briefly wondering how the rest of the crew was doing in their endeavor to get stronger. “This guest is...uninvited, to say the very least.” Seijuro spoke, taking a long sip of his tea and watching the door, anticipation building as Brennan shoved food down now through paying Levi and Seijuro no mind. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Levi questioned, raising an eyebrow at Seijuro. While most people would view an uninvited guest as a minor annoyance, it was completely different for pirates. An uninvited guest could spell trouble for your entire crew if they were unfriendly. "Should we be ready to fight this person in case things go south?" "Have no worries, dear. Though, I'd say he might be just annoying as rock head over there." Seijuro remarked, taking another deep sip of his tea, seemingly awaiting the person's arrival. After finishing his takoyaki, Zephyr continued to stroll around town. He had just ate, but he was still feeling a bit peckish. He inhaled deeply, taking in the various aromas around town, wondering what would next appease his hunger. There was one particular aroma, that came from far away, and it smelled far better than anything nearby. "Heh! That smells good!" Resting his staff on his shoulder, Zephyr waved his left hand in a circular motion, summoning the air around him. As the wind bended to his will, it gathered at his feet, levitating him and moving him into the direction his arm movements directed it to. He sat on the wind as if it was a flying carpet, swiftly and gently travelling through the air as if the wind itself was an extension of his body. He followed the aroma carried by the wind, and as he drew closer, he distinguished three separate smells besides the food, which meant, three people were gathered in the area where the food had been prepared. As he neared his target location, he saw three people sitting around and eating. What seemed to be an older man, a young fellow and a woman. Without any hesitation, he waved his hand once more, releasing the wind beneath him that carried him, descending on his own right were the three individuals were gathered. "Oi!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face as he waved his hand towards them, in a saluting manner. He walked closer, and sensed that indeed, each and every one of these three individuals was astoundingly strong, especially the old one. The breeze shifted in a particular manner around strong individuals, that's how he could tell. "hey! How much for a bowl of whatever you got there? Smells good and I'm still hungry!" He said as he neared them, still haven't recognized the identity of the pirates before him. Brennan halted in the massacre of his plate, glaring up at the boy as Seijuro simple kicked out a chair in front of the boy and motioned him to take a seat as Brennan simply glared at him, putting his hand around his plate, almost like a dog guarding a bone, the glare from his eyes ferocious and food driven. “Thanks!” Zephyr said in response to Seijuro offering a seat. A chill went over his arm, and he turned his head to the source of it, to the young man giving of a death stare and protecting his plate. “Ghii” he widened his eyes and looked awkwardly, and slowly dragged his chair away from Brennan. “Me, come in peace...” he said while addressing Brennan from far away. “Me no take your food. Me, Zephyr. You?” He waved his hands as he talked in a childish manner towards Brennan, treating the young man as if he were a beast. "Me, Brennan!" Brennan responded in a barbaric tone, staring Zephry up and down before realizing just how he was speaking. "Wait, why the fuck am I talking like a dumb ass? Who are you and why are you here?!" Brennan questioned, straightening his back and clearing his throat. Brennan’s sudden boast startled Zephyr. “Woaah! Calm down dude...” he sipped a bit of tea he just grabbed from the table. Almost ten seconds passed and he continued slurping. Almost as if he forgot he was asked a question. “Ah! My name is Zephyr! Nice to meet you all?! Mr.? Mr.? And Ms.?” He said, before continuing to slurp. "I just told you my name!" Brennan exclaimed, still confused as to who this man was and why he was there and most of all, why the hell he was eating their food. "You can call me Seijuro." Seijuro remarked, taking another deep slurp of tea, looking to Levi, beckoning her to introduce herself with his glare. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Ramman Levi and his first mate." Levi introduced herself as she gestured over to Brennan who was still eating as though his life depended on it. A Hot Breeze Zephyr munched on some food and drank tea, as he nodded to each's response. "Oh! Okay, a pleasure Blemand, Meijuro and Man Levi!" He slurped and finished his tea in one final go, and looked at the three individuals. "Ya'll seem cool, so imma' ask a question..." He scanned the eyes of the three individuals briefly, as he took a more serious look. "I'm looking for an ol' dude with Draco on his name, and for tha' location of a big ass stone with weird markings on it!...A ponelgyph!", he exclaimed. "If ya'll don't heard of any it's cool, I'll just keep em' askin'." "Hmm" Seijuro contemplated for a moment, taking his last sip of tea and placing his cup down, he stood up, using his sword as a cane to rise, turning his attention to Z. "I'll tell you what I know, but only if you fight "Blemand" here!" Seijiro grinned, walking out into the open backyard, displaying it for Z to see the large area for them to fight. "IT'S BRENANNNN! Get the name right!" Brennan barked in anger before Seijuro rose from his seat. He listened as the old man called him out of his name once again, gritting his teeth until the mention of a fight, he practically jumped from his chair at its mention and dusted himself off, glaring at Z in await for his responce. Zephyr scratched his head. He was excited this man knew something about his question, yet he was confused as to why he had to fight the young man. But he figured there would be no harm in a match. "Hmmmm...Okay!" He jumped to his feet, and put his large backpack which carried some large things wrapped in a thick brown cloth to a corner. "I don't understand why you want me to fight, but sure! I think I'll need the exercise!" He said excitedly while stretching. He then grabbed his staff and directed his determined gaze at Brennan. "Birckman! I may not look like it, but I'm strong." Zephyr said confidently as he walked towards the backyard, bending his knees slightly and resting his staff on his shoulder. The breeze began to blow around the area. "Ready when you are!" Category:GeminiVIII Category:Lemasters30 Category:Arukana Category:Rookie Roleplays